MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
APRIL 30, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Johnson County Soil and Water Conservation District Soil and Water Conservationist Kate Giannini: Quarterly Report for January through March.................................................................................. 1
Mental Health/Disability Services Director Kris Artley: Board Signature for Revised and Approved By-Laws for the Johnson County Planning Council and for the Johnson County Targeted Case Management Advisory Board....................................................................................................................................... 2
Mental Health/Disability Services Director Kris Artley: Annual Community Mental Health Center Affiliation Agreement...................................................................................................................... 3
Assistant Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Director Jan Shaw: Updated Word Processor III Job Description....................................................................................................................................... 3
Housing Fellowship Executive Director Maryann Dennis: Presentation on the Housing Fellowship 3
Human Resources Administrator Lora Shramek: Establishing First Half of FY10 Health Care Self-Funded Rates (Single, Family and Medicare Carveout)......................................................................... 6
County Attorney Janet Lyness: National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Walk......................... 7
Board of Supervisors: Letter to Shelter House Overflow Project Proposal............................ 7
Board of Supervisors: Recommendations from Parking Policy Committee......................... 11
Reports and Inquiries from the Board of Supervisors......................................................... 11
Chairperson Neuzil called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building at 10:02 a.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Larry Meyers, Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Rod Sullivan.
Soil and Water Conservationist Kate Giannini has developed nine farm plans including conservation practices. She said there have been 80 new acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. She just finished designing a grade stabilization structure of a pond. Construction for that design will start in the summer of 2009. Giannini said she and her coworkers have been working on waterway designs as well as on the design and flagging of contour buffer strips in the fields. She also surveyed and designed two windbreaks, each three acres. She said seeding was done in the fall of 2008, and it is growing well. Giannini said she has worked closely with Johnson County Planning and Zoning on urban projects in the Johnson County Sensitive Area Ordinance.
Giannini said the Rapid Creek Watershed Development Grant was just completed. She said the funding for this project was received in March of 2008, and the project was completed in March of 2009. She said a grant was submitted for 319 funds and Watershed Protection Funds on April 1, 2009. She said this grant was written for a project coordinator, funding for water sample analysis, and funding for extra cost share dollars to implement conservation practices in the watershed. Through the development grant, assessments were completed by water sample analysis. There are 47 weeks of data and about 23 weeks of bacterial data. A land use assessment of the watershed and a walking assessment of the stream were also completed. Giannini said 76 of the 92 bacteria samples taken were high bacteria, above the average for EPA standards. She said there is a focus on removing the Iowa River from the Impaired Waters List. This grant will allow conservation practices to be implemented in the water shed. She said the testing also showed high ammonia just below the Morse community, which does not have a sewer system. She said a decision on the attainment of the 319 and watershed protection funding will be heard in May or June of 2009. She said if the watershed protection funds are received, they will be used to hire a coordinator to implement conservation practices to help with the bacteria and sediment reduction in the watershed.
Giannini said she planned the Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership Program. She said the Ag Day took place in Hills on April 10, 2009. She said she attended the Iowa Storm Water Conference in March 2009 in Ames, Iowa. Web soil service training was done at the end of March 2009. She said she worked with the Corps of Engineers on the Steve Atherton Memorial Wetland. She said Steve Atherton was a professor at Kirkwood Community College. Giannini said Atherton passed away in 2008.
Harney asked if Giannini will talk with property owners along the stream about improving the runoff areas. Giannini said yes. Harney asked if that would be done in the near future. Giannini said if the grant money is received, a project coordinator will be hired. It will be that person’s responsibility to set up an advisory committee, to contact the landowners and stakeholders in the watershed, and to educate them on the results of the water testing. Meyers asked if the 80 new CRP acres is a net gain of 80 acres or is it 80 different acres. He said there has been concern about ground coming out of CRP because of changes in farming practices. Giannini said the 80 acres are new. She said the wetland is at the Snyder Creek. She said she enrolled a 230 acre wetland last quarter. She said the grass water weights and the buffer strips are also new. Meyers asked if there are acres coming out of the Conservation Reserve Program. Giannini said yes. She said it is part of the farm planning, because farmers want to begin production on land that was previously CRP. She said in order to allow the farmers to remove land from CRP, they have to implement conservation practices by leaving in the waterways and putting in contour buffer strips and filter strips along the creeks. She said she tries to work with the farmers to leave some grass, but there are a lot of acres leaving the CRP. The Board thanked Giannini for the report.
Mental Health/Disability Services Director Kris Artley said the Planning Council revamped the bylaws to reflect the change in name of the department from MH/DD to MH/DS to comply with the State's interpretation of the name. She said it was also decided to reduce the obligation of the individual committees. She said there were many varying committees that met numerous times. Instead, the Planning Council assigned taskforces for upcoming projects. She said that change realigned the membership to five consumers or family members, five general public members and five members representing local service providers. Artley said the Planning Council also named the Board, MH/DS Assistant Director Jan Shaw, and herself as ex-officio non-voting members. Artley said the Targeted Case Management Advisory Board also voted to change the name from MH/DD to MH/DS. She said the Board also brought everything up to current standards and requested the capability of electronic voting. Neuzil said this will be put on next week’s agenda for potential Board approval.
Artley said MH/DS is required by the State to produce an annual affiliation agreement in order to secure the community services funding source for Fiscal Year 2010. She said the affiliation agreement also lets the division of MH/DS know which entity has been designated to receive the block grant funding. She said the Community Mental Health Center is assigned based on a contractual arrangement. The Board agreed to put the agreement on a future formal agenda for approval.
Shaw said the job description is for an existing position. She said an old description from the State in 1990 is currently on the books from when there was a 28E agreement with the State. She said it is out of date, and the description is being updated with the current responsibilities and is also being made a Johnson County job description. She said the classification is not being changed. She said the description was looked at by the existing employee in the position, the supervisor, and Human Resources personnel. She said everyone is in agreement. Sullivan asked if the description has gone through the union. Shaw said that has not happened yet. She said Human Resources Administrator Lora Shramek said the Board has to first approve the description before it can be taken to the union. Stutsman asked if the description upgraded the position. Shaw said no, the duties were updated to the current duties of the position. Neuzil said this will be put on the agenda for formal approval.
Housing Fellowship Executive Director Mary Ann Dennis said the Fellowship is entering their 19th year as an Iowa non-profit corporation. She said the mission of the Fellowship is to increase access and availability of affordable housing in Johnson County. She said generally, affordable housing stabilizes families and individuals. She said people tend to stay in locations they like and can afford. Stable affordable housing keeps adults employed and their children in schools. Stable families increase stable communities and neighborhoods. She said an Affordable Housing Market Analysis was commissioned by the Iowa City City Council, and it showed that between now and 2012 the estimated need for affordable housing in the Iowa City Metropolitan Area is an additional 2,739 units. She said the Housing Fellowship functions as a housing developer. The Fellowship buys and rehabilitates existing properties or builds new properties. The Fellowship currently owns 116 rental homes scattered throughout Iowa City and Coralville.
Dennis said the Fellowship provides housing for families only. She said they do not own one bedroom properties, and they can not rent to unrelated student households. She said the Fellowship compliments all of the other affordable housing efforts in the area. She said there was a need for a non-profit that was specifically providing permanent, affordable housing. She said the Fellowship has an ongoing Housing and Urban Development Certification as a community housing development organization. In 1992 the Federal government passed the Home Partnership Act, and the Fellowship has met HUD's ten point test to maintain that certification annually. 116 rental units have been placed through a mix of financing strategies that include locally allocated federal funds, private loans, equity from low income housing tax credits, general obligation bond financing, and loans from the Johnson County Housing Trust Fund. She said all of those funding sources go into one project. She said a complicated financing package has to be put together in order to allocate those funds.
Shaw said the 116 rental units have been placed through either new construction or acquisition and rehabilitation of existing units. She said the units are scattered and located in 11 of the 13 Iowa City elementary school attendance areas. She said the federal government sets the family income limits and the rents. She said the rents are strictly controlled for the Fellowship's renters. In Johnson County the federal income limits are very high. She said she believes they are the highest in the State. A household of two generally cannot make over $30,400 a year to qualify. She said the Fellowship does provide housing for working citizens. She said the fellowship has also established sound tenant selection criteria and property management practices. She said the appearance of the rental homes and the behavior of the tenants are a public relations asset.
Shaw said 499 persons were housed in the rental program in 2008. She said that number included 326 children. 70% of the heads of the households were employed full time, and 15% of them were elderly or disabled. The average household annual income was $19,017 a year. 71% of the heads of households were single moms. She said the Fellowship has a goal to develop 100 new rental units within the next five years. She said plans are in place to construct 22 new homes in three different sites in Iowa City. The new project includes 6 different sources of financing for a total project cost of $5.6 million. Shaw said the rental program is the biggest Fellowship program.
Shaw said another Fellowship program involves having established one of three community land trusts in the State. She said it is an opportunity for people to become first time income targeted home buyers. Essentially the Fellowship buys a piece of land and builds a house. She said the Fellowship sells the house but maintains ownership of the land. The home buyer enters into a 99-year ground lease with the housing fellowship. Shaw said this accomplishes several different goals. One is the removal of the cost of the land which reduces the cost of the home. She said the 99-year ground lease stipulates that, any time the house is sold, it must be sold to an income qualified buyer. She said it effectively removes the land from the speculative market and ensures the home remains affordable. She said the 99-year ground lease is renewable for another 99 years, allowing the program to potentially continue for a long time.
Shaw said the Fellowship has built and sold 17 community land trust homes. She said four of those homes were sold in 2008. The prices ranged from $124,000 to $159,000. She said that price does not include the land. The buyers receive $35,000 in down payment assistance, which further reduces the price of the home for the buyer. She said three homes have been built and sold in Lone Tree to first time home buyers. She said the Fellowship recently received funding for a new project in Lone Tree and will provide home buyer assistance for five newly constructed homes. She said the Fellowship’s partners in Lone Tree include the City of Lone Tree, Farmers & Merchants Bank, Coldwell Banker Realtors, and the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development. Shaw said all of the housing projects developed by the Fellowship are integrated into individual neighborhoods. They have to abide by all of the subdivision covenants and restrictions, which can make building expensive in Johnson County. She said strategies have been developed to reduce the cost for the end user rather than compromising anything that will be built in the neighborhood. She said the Fellowship homes are indistinguishable from the surrounding homes.
Shaw said the other Fellowship program is a security deposit loan program. She said it is a revolving loan fund capitalized and serviced by US Bank. She said US Bank provides a one-year, no-interest loan of $400 for very low income households to assist with the payment of a security deposit. The program was started in 1993, but it was shut down due to bank mergers; bank software would not accept a 0% interest loan. She said the security deposit loan program increases access to affordable housing and helps families establish a banking relationship to either establish or repair credit. The security deposit loan program receives grants from the Community Foundation of Johnson County and from United Way and can offer a limited number of grants for utility deposits.
Shaw said the Housing Fellowship has established many local partnerships with state and national organizations and governmental bodies. She said the Fellowship works with local vendors, banks, and other local non-profit organizations. The Fellowship was instrumental in the establishment of the Johnson County Housing Trust Fund. She said the Fellowship staff are capable, reliable, and have been established as experts to look to for advice on affordable housing issues. The Fellowship is involved in housing policy for the region and plans to continue to have a significant impact on local housing policy in Johnson County. The Fellowship is located at 322 East Second Street and has a new website www.housingfellowship.com.
Shramek said health care self-funded rates are effective July 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009. She said the Wellmark increase is a little over 7% for 2010. She said claims are at 7.23% and the stop-loss and administrative fees are increasing 5.23%. Currently there are 516 enrollees on the plan, 214 of whom are single. The County offers full time employees the benefit at zero cost. The other 302 enrollees are family contracts and family members pay $30 per month. During the past year 2008 claims exceeded $3.9 million, and the suggested funding for 2010 is $5.9 million. She said the Auditors Office will write a weekly check for $98,000 to cover the Human Resources weekly draw. The current draw is $90,000 and is increasing by $8,000.
Shramek said there were six claimants that were over the specific stop-loss level of $50,000. In 2008 there were eight claimants over the stop-loss level. The current monthly rates are self-funded at $376.38 for single and $1,044.44 for family. Historically, Human Resources has set the rates slightly above the Wellmark rates, because they do not include compliance fees such as the 513C.10, 509A, or actuarial costs. She said the Health Fund balance has steadily improved and is just over $3 million. She said she does not see the need to go over the Wellmark rates. The recommended cost-saving measures from Wellmark include increasing deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums as well as implementing a three-tier pharmacy plan. She said negotiation with the unions to increase deductibles took place. The deductibles will be increasing to $200 and $400. Out of pocket maximums will be increasing to $750 and $1,500 effected January 1, 2010. She said rates will hopefully be readjusted at that time, lower based on the 1.5% savings. It will be an off-cycle renewal with Wellmark.
Shramek said Medicare carve out is the retiree plan that covers ages 65 and older and their spouses. The County contributed $91,574 to the Medicare carve out plan in 2008. There are 33 participants, which figures to $2,775 spent per participant. The current rate for the carve out plan is $296.05. In the past Wellmark has stated that other companies assess the retirees the same amount as the employees. Shramek said Human Resources is working toward assessment on the same level as employees, and there is currently an $80 difference. She said the cost associated with the retirees is significantly more than they are putting into the plan. The actual cost is $505.25 which represents over a 70% increase. That is extremely significant when someone is on a fixed income. She said she thinks it is important to look at last year’s expenditures. She said this year’s expenditures are 91.5% over and last year’s expenditures were 33.8% over. This year’s expenditures have been exceedingly high.
Shramek recommended to the Board to approve the following self-funded rates at the next meeting. 7.13% increase for employees, currently it is $376.38 and it would increase to $403.20. She said family is currently at $1,044.44 and would increase to $1,118.90. She said Medicare carve out is currently at $296.05. She recommended increasing carve out to $353.20, because that would help to close the gap between the retiree and the single coverage from $80 down to $50. She said the carve out change would represent a 19.3% increase.
Neuzil said the Board will continue to monitor rate increases as they discuss 2010 budget and strategic planning to make future policy decisions. Sullivan asked if Shramek anticipates asking the Board to increase carve out another 20% in subsequent years to get closer to actual cost. Shramek responded yes. She said the last few years the rate has increased higher than the employee rate. Sullivan clarified that over the next few years it will cover the costs. Shramek said yes. Stutsman asked if the County is required to provide this service. Shramek said no, the Board started this program in 1994 and it is not required by law. She said the 509A coverage up to age 65 is required by law. Neuzil said the Board may have to look at it when they address areas to be cut or reduced. She said Johnson County is paying these plans as a secondary payer, but the pharmaceutical costs are high because Medicare does not cover those costs. Stutsman asked how many employees are currently on the plan. Shramek responded 33 currently, but it ranges from 27-33.
County Attorney Janet Lyness said April 2, 2009 is the National Alliance on Mental Illness walk. She said there is a Johnson County team, and there are participants from the County Attorneys office. She said the Crisis Center Breakfast is before the NAMI walk at Heartbeat Church.
Recessed at 10:37 a.m.; reconvened at 10:41 a.m.
Neuzil said last week at a County work session, the Board discussed allowing the homeless shelter overflow project, from the Consultation of Religious Communities, to use the third floor of the Health and Human Services building as a site for its overflow project. He said the Board conversed and Facilities Manager David Kempf presented. A majority of the Board determined it was not the best course of action. Neuzil said a letter to the Shelter House would respond to the overflow proposal. He read the letter dated May 7, 2009, which would be formally approved by the Board the week of May 4, 2009.
Neuzil read the letter: "Dear friends of the Consultation of Religious Communities CRC, During the April 22, 2009 Key Issues Meeting of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, our Board had the opportunity to discuss the resolution we received from you, that called for securing a site for the CRC Shelter House Overflow Project. Specifically, your unanimous proposal to the Board that would authorize the use of the third floor of the new Johnson County Health and Human Services Building as the fixed, not permanent site, for the project from November 2009 through March of 2010. Upon further discussion, a majority of the Board determined that the County does not have an interest in allowing the third floor of the new Health and Human Services Building to be used for the project. The Board, however, was interested in being a part of discussions to help address the serious homeless problem in our County. In addition, the County would be open-minded to further discussions to potentially use other County-owned buildings for overflow, as long as other municipal buildings were also explored for use.”
Consultation of Religious Communities Chair Dorothy Whiston said the overflow project has been done for five years, since the capacity of the Shelter House began to outgrow the facility. She said the original thought was that the Shelter House would build a new facility after two years, however that was tied up in court and there was a need to continue the program. She said, after the court process, the economy had slowed down considerably, and due to funding problems the Shelter House will not be able to house the overflow. The demand for the overflow has continued to rise throughout the years. There have been nights when various churches could not address the overflow need. In 2009, the two coordinators for the project will no longer be available. In the original March 2009 letter to the Board, there was a concern about staffing. Since then the CRC has worked with the Community Corrections Improvement Association and will now have at least one or two VISTA volunteers. She said this project is intensive in its volunteer needs. She said there are between 30,000 and 40,000 hours in volunteer time and several hundred volunteers. She said the CRC is in a crunch for space needs, and some of the churches are burnt out on taking in overflow year after year.
Whiston said there is no particular attachment to the Health and Human Services Building other than it was recommended by people in the community. She said people do not simply show up. She said the homeless individuals go to the Shelter House and are screened and transported by volunteers. The overnight accommodations are staffed by people who are trained and stay up all night as supervisors of the program. The faith communities in the County have been cooperating on this for a long time. The Housing Fellowship is a descendent of the CRC. She said help is needed from the County and the cities. She said Iowa City was approached, and they are looking at possibilities. The original letter asking for support went to all of the municipalities in the area.
Trinity Episcopal Church Deacon Judith Cross said she has been the coordinator for the overflow project at Trinity since its inception. She said she recruits and trains volunteers. She said the homelessness is a social justice issue and help is needed. First United Methodist Church Member Christine Mullen said this project resonates within the community. She said there are an unbelievable number of volunteers who have stepped forward to address staffing needs. She said some people feel skittish when addressed about getting involved with the project. As the previous volunteer coordinator for the project, it was her job to get people involved and show the skittish people that it can work. She said there have been problems with the current sites being used, and the third floor looked like an alternative option. The demand for space has increased the number of people being turned away on some nights. She said some churches can no longer participate in the program due to construction or moving plans. The loss of sites may cause a bigger problem for the coldest months of the year. She said they are inviting the County to join the project and asking the Board not to feel uncomfortable. She said it would give space for one season.
Volunteer Catherine Nickelson said she has volunteered for this project since its inception. She said it is important to bring people in out of the cold. First Presbyterian Church Pastor Sam Massey said the religious communities have taken on the responsibility to make sure the homeless do not freeze to death. He said the letter was an invitation to help. He asked the Board to make an offer on a space with plumbing and heating. He said this is a temporary need until the Shelter House is ready. Faith United Church of Christ Pastor Bruce Kittle said he has been a program volunteer since its inception. He said there is a level of volunteer fatigue. He said cots are transported to new locations every week, and it would be nice to have one place to store the entire overflow consistently. It is going to be difficult without two of the major churches contributing this winter season. He said if the Board has legitimate concerns, the CRC will work to address them and would like to establish a partnership to address the overflow issue.
Coralville United Methodist Church Volunteer Coordinator Penny Rembolt said they are partnered with First Christian Church because the Coralville Fire Marshall would not approve United Methodist as a facility for overflow. She said in 2009 there were 1,661 nights of shelter provided for individuals during the season compared to 1,143 in 2008. She said the need has increased and is not likely to decrease anytime soon. After the first week following the close of the overflow program in March of 2009, several unduplicated people were denied bed space at Shelter House and may now be on the streets unsheltered. She said there is a need to show that this is a community that takes action on social justice issues. Carol Potter said she previously was the Pastoral Associate at St. Thomas Moor and helped organize and prepare for the shelter visitors. She said there is a way to have a partnership and asked the Board to creatively think of ways to join in and help the community.
Neuzil said the Board based the decision on the fact that the building is brand new, and there may be legality issues involving liability. He said Kempf had concerns as the Physical Plant Facilities Manager about how to coordinate the program for its night function, being it would involve a County owned building. Kempf said aside from the liability issue one of the big concerns is the long-term storage of files on the third floor of the Health and Human Services Building. He said there could be HIPAA guideline-related concerns as far as being able to secure the storage areas. He said the walls are only finished to nine feet, which is not considered a secure space. He said that is one of the main reasons the space can not be used for the overflow. Kempf said the County does have a couple of other facilities that could be considered and possibly used for a year. He said the one number that keeps eluding him is an average number of people that would be served per night. Whiston said they would want to try to provide for about 20 people. Kempf asked what the maximum number would be. Whiston said 20 exceeds the current maximum. Kempf said there may be areas that would work better. Kempf said with the Boards direction he would happily look at the possibility of using one of the structures for the overflow project. Details such as insurance, leasing, and utility costs would need to be considered and worked through.
Neuzil said in the letter the Board said they would entertain exploring other buildings. He asked if the Board feels comfortable allowing Kempf to explore other options. Stutsman said yes. Neuzil said the Board will have official approval of the letter. Kempf said he would rather do this sooner than later because of future plans for the buildings. He said some of the options are scheduled for demolition. Neuzil asked Kempf to work with Whiston. Whiston said their reason for coming forward with this proposal is that they had talked with Social Services Coordinator Amy Correia about its feasibility. Meyers said there are spaces in the County's possession that were recently residential. He said those spaces would probably not need a lot of changes made. Kempf said they would still have Fire Marshal and City requirements and the question of who would be responsible for those expenses. Whiston said First Christian put in several thousands of dollars in improvements to qualify as a homeless site. She said all of the churches involved have been paying for utilities and having to deal with liability issues. She said she is not asking the Board to do anything the people of the County are not already doing. Whiston said the CRC believes it is a county-wide problem, and the Board can help even though there may be some costs involved.
Sullivan said the Board should reconsider the letter. He said he has done the volunteering before, and he is afraid that having many small locations is going to create a demand for volunteers. He said people watch all night long by people who stay awake. He said if there is a house with many different rooms, the demand for volunteers is not going to be met. Kempf said a house would not be his first choice to store the overflow. Stutsman said the Board wants to move forward with the issue. Sullivan said he thinks there is a facility that makes sense. Stutsman said Sullivan was the only member interested in supporting the use of the third floor of the Johnson County Health and Human Services Building. Sullivan said he wants to be on record as being the one to support it, because he feels it is important. Meyers asked if segregation needs to be done between men, women, and children. Whiston said there are no separate rooms. She said the segregation happens though supervision. She said everyone is screened at the Shelter House, and a fundamental part of this program is that everyone is in one place with volunteers that have agreed to stay up all night to supervise. Stutsman said she supports moving forward.
Stutsman left at: 11:10 a.m.
Neuzil said the letter points out that a majority of the Board does want to move forward with exploring other opportunities. He emphasized he would like to see other opportunities explored by Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty before he would support the County getting involved. He said he thinks that is fair. He said other municipalities may have an opportunity for the project, and he hopes the CRC has the opportunity to address those elected officials too. He said budgeting is a factor, and it is not currently budgeted. He said the budget was submitted to the State in February. He said coming up with additional dollars has to be considered as part of the equation. He said there may be an opportunity to get donations or create a special fund. He asked Kempf to work with the Board’s liaisons to keep them updated on this issue. Neuzil said the next Key Issues Meeting is May 27, 2009 at 9:00 a.m.
Sullivan said the Board voted on parking policy about six months ago. He said the Parking Policy Committee wants the Board to ratify the vote on how to address differences regarding timeline and dollar amounts. Neuzil said the Board could forward comments to Sullivan and vote at the formal meeting next week. Sullivan said the Committee needs to know by next week to formulate the change.
Meyers said he talked with Public Health Director Douglas Beardsley who is acting as the County's Public Information Officer on the swine flu issue and is coordinating with area hospitals. He said if there are questions, people may call the Department of Public Health at 319-356-6040.
Adjourned at 11:14 a.m.
By Nancy Tomkovicz, Recording Secretary